A typical data storage system stores data for one or more external client devices. Conventional data storage systems typically include a storage processor and an array of disk drives electrically attached to the storage processor. The storage processor includes one or more ports, such as fibre channel ports, that allow the client devices to connect to the storage processor and is typically configured to perform load and store operations on the array of disk drives on behalf of the client devices.
Conventional data storage systems also allow a management device to manage, monitor, and configure the data storage system according to a system manager's needs. In order for the management device to obtain information regarding certain aspects of the data storage system, the client device can issue a request for certain Common Information Model (CIM) objects maintained by the data storage system. Conventional data storage systems use the CIM to represent elements of the data storage system. For example, CIM objects can represent disk drives, logical units (LUs), Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) groups, and data storage subsystems within the data storage system.
In conventional data storage systems, a storage processor executes a data storage management application and stores data for the CIM objects in memory as part of a provider layer of the data storage management application. During operation, when the management device requests a CIM object from the data storage system, the storage processor retrieves the stored CIM object data from the provider layer, as well as data from lower layers, such as an administration layer and driver layer associated with the data storage management application. The storage processor further retrieves mapping information, hard-coded as part of the storage processor and applies the mapping information to the retrieved data to convert the data into a CIM object, as requested. The storage processor then transmits the CIM object to the management device in response to the request.